ESPN’s Paul Biancadi: Zion Williamson could stay home for college
Count ESPN national analyst Paul Biancardi among the experts who think that Spartanburg Day basketball star Zion Williamson might stay home for college.
Williamson announced this week on Twitter that he will announce his college choice on Jan. 20. Most experts think he’ll pick between Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.
247Sports analyst Evan Daniels, who has a pretty good track record with his "Crystal Ball" projections, has Williamson going to play for Brad Bownell and Clemson. 247 collected predictions from 28 national recruiting experts. Seventeen said Williamson would attend Clemson. Seven had Kentucky. Two had UNC, one had Kansas, and one was not sure.
Biancardi, one of the nation’s most prominent high school sports voices, thinks there’s a good chance Williamson could stay home, too.
“I have studied Williamson for years,” said Biancardi, who is ESPN’s national director of recruiting and player rankings. “He is physically imposing and is a special athlete. When you look at his frame you expect a strong and powerful prospect and he certainly is that. What you don’t expect is the speed, quickness and the overall mobility to go along with his freakish vertical. Once he gets equal to his defender with the blow by dribble or when he gets angles to the rim, the only way to stop him is to foul him. His versatility is endless. I have seen him throw an alley-oop pass for the assist or receive the pass and dunk on defenders. A true mismatch in the college game who can be extremely productive and impactful. Skill development and consistent conditioning are points of emphasis without losing his power game.
“My feeling is that he loves his home state and might lean that way (to Clemson or South Carolina). Saying that, Duke, UNC, Kansas and Kentucky are pushing hard for him.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 12:09 AM with the headline "ESPN’s Paul Biancadi: Zion Williamson could stay home for college."